


Translate This Body Language

by cricket_aria



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Incest, M/M, Teasing, part time work, translation job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 13:04:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20546630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cricket_aria/pseuds/cricket_aria
Summary: Since Dojima thinks Souji's been spending too much time locked up in his room, Souji brings his work down to spend time with him.





	Translate This Body Language

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moon_Blitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Blitz/gifts).

Souji started heading for the stairs as soon as he’d finished cleaning up after dinner. He was doing his best to build up some extra funds while waiting for Kanji to recover; they’d never have saved him from the Bathhouse so easily if it hadn’t been for the temple fox’s help, but getting it had wiped out the little he’d been saving up and made it clear to him that he should try to have enough money built up to protect them all if they ever needed it. He’d heard that some night time jobs would be opening up to students soon, but in the meantime he’d been focusing on his translating.

But before he could put his foot on the first stair Dojima called out, “Hey now, you’ve been vanishing up to your room the minute you get a chance lately. Why don’t you bring down whatever you’re working on, I’d be happy for the company.” A second later Souji could see it in his face when he gave a little more thought to what a teenaged boy might be running off to his room to do every night, a flush that Souji wouldn’t have expected crawling across his cheeks even as he tried to keep a straight face while Nanako was sitting right of his front of him. Souji was pretty sure he didn’t have to make that much effort; that day had been her school’s spring sports day and she was already almost dozing in her spot, not even chiming in to beg him to hang out. “Uh, if you’d like anyway.”

Souji smiled at him, hoping he could show in his expression that there was no reason to feel awkward. He was getting better at that, he thought, getting things across the way he wanted without having to say anything. It was a skill that had somehow never really clicked for him before Inaba. “If you don’t mind that I won’t be very entertaining. I’m working on a part-time job.”

Dojima looked grateful to have his awkwardness overlooked, even as he shook his head. “You kids these days. When I was your age your grandma would have throttled me if I’d wasted study time on a part-time job.” Luckily he sounded amused, and not like he was about to demand Souji started focusing on getting into a good university instead.

“And now you get to be the cool uncle who doesn’t care how I spend my nights as long as my grades don’t start slipping,” Souji said, smiling more widely when Dojima barked out a laugh.

“I wouldn’t go that far, your cool uncle is a police officer don’t forget. But I think I can look the other way if your idea of spending a night slacking off is holing up to get some work done.” He stood up himself then, and nodded down at Nanako who was getting dangerously close to planting her face straight into the remains of her rice. “I’ll get her to bed, you go get whatever it is you need.”

“Yes sir,” Souji tapped his fingers to his head in a joking salute, recognizing that Dojima was not going to take no for an answer. It wasn’t like it was a hard job to move around, since he liked scribbling out his translations by hand before typing up whatever section he finished for the company. His notebook, a dictionary, and the printouts of the part he planned to focus on that night and he was set. He was back well before Dojima was, laughing to himself as he stole Dojima’s still slightly warm on the couch then laughing harder still at the look on Dojima’s face when he walked in and saw him sitting there sideways with his legs stretched across the couch.

“Nice try,” he said, crossing the room then grabbing Souji by the ankle, “But Nanako could have told you that I won’t give up my spot that easily.” Though his grip wasn’t rough at all it didn’t slip a bit as he dragged Souji firmly across the couch. 

“Nice try,” Souji mimicked back when he landed on his back, sprawled out now one cushion down, “but it probably works better with a kid who isn’t the length of the couch yet.” He stretched his arms out over his head, hooking his fingers over the edge of the cushion he’d just been forcibly vacated from.

He almost missed spotting Dojima’s eyes, just for a moment, flicking to sliver of his stomach revealed when his shirt pulled up. Huh. And there was that flush again.

“True,” Dojima said, gathering himself up admirably enough that Souji could have thought he’d imagine that look, “but a six-year-old wouldn’t need to give up to get their work done.” He picked up Souji’s books and papers and set them on the opposite end of the couch, just too far for Souji to reach them without sitting up.

“You play dirty, old man,” Souji said with a mock-scowl, relinquishing the spot to him as he gathered his things. He needed to get to work anyway, but it was hard to get into the right mindset now that he had a more interesting puzzle to work on.

Though he’d have an easier time writing if he moved to one of the tables he turned sideways on the couch instead, bending his knees so he could lean his notebook against his legs. If that position just so happened to mean he had to wiggle his toes beneath Dojima’s thigh to have enough room, well, nothing terrible about that right? He made a show of acting distracted by getting his things the way he wanted even as he kept an eye on Dojima’s reaction from beneath his lashes. He saw Dojima look down at his invading feet, appearing torn between whether to ask him to move or not. Watching him decided to accept it. And saw the moment he decided to go from keeping his arm stiffly bent into his lap to relaxing and letting it rest against Souji’s shins.

“So, what are you working on?” Dojima asked as he flipped through TV stations in search of something to watch. “That looks more like homework than a part-time job, change your mind about how you felt like spending the night?”

“No, it is. I’m working on translating a short story into Japanese. I think the people in charge like my work; when I started out it was all instructional pamphlets and things like that, but they’ve been giving me more things people actually want to read lately.” He glanced away for a moment, smiling wryly, “Or they just don’t have that many people on staff who read German well enough.”

Dojima shot him a startled look, “What, seriously? I thought the only language you were learning in school was English.”

Souji laughed and shook his head. “I know you and mom aren’t really that close, but I didn’t realize you didn’t keep track of where Dad’s job takes them. The first three years I was in school we were in Stuttgart.”

Dojima rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. “I had completely forgotten about that. You really were all over the place as a kid, weren’t you?” Then he gave Souji a fond glance and added, “Still, even with that leg-up being able to work as a translator at your age is impressive. It’s hard to believe that when we did talk your mom ever did anything besides brag about you. …Not that she never did! I just mean--”

Souji laughed and shook his head, cutting off any worries that Dojima would think his mom didn’t care. “It’s okay, I know what she’s like. Anyway, I’m glad she’s not the type of parent who’d spend a lot of time talking about me.” At the curious expression that comment received he wiggled his toes under Dojima’s leg, smiling more widely when his uncle squeezed his ankle lightly in response. “Do you think you’d be treating me the same way you do now if you’d heard every last cute baby story she had about me growing up?”

Dojima looked down at where their bodies met, innocent enough contact but still much more comfortable and casual than a man would be expected to be with his teenaged nephew, and Souji saw the way his face went tight for just a moment as he realized that. Watched it soften again as he decided to accept it instead of pulling back. “Yeah, you might be right about that. Who knows if I’d have seen you as anything but my sister’s brat? So, what are you working on?”

His plan that night had been to make progress on a children’s story, something where there wouldn’t be any issues if Dojima looked at it over his shoulder, but on a sudden whim he shifted through his papers to another one he’d been having trouble with. “It’s a forbidden romance between a teacher and student. It’s mostly about the student trying to break down his teacher’s walls, while the teacher does his best to keep his distance.”

“Uh-huh. And how well does he manage that?”

“Pretty well, he slips once but they don’t really get together until after graduation.” Souji frowned, tapping the spot that he’d been stuck on as he considered Dojima, then shifted to sit up straight as he made up his mind. “Do you think you could help me with it?”

Dojima laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m afraid I can’t say I know any German.”

“No, not with that. There’s a pose I’ve been having trouble putting into Japanese. I think I’d have an easier time if I saw it in the flesh.”

“So you’re saying you want me to play mannequin?”

“Something like that.” Souji stood, and nudged Dojima’s shoulder to get him to move away from the arm of the couch a little. “Here, put a leg up on the table, and stretch one arm across the back of the couch.”

“Are you just trying to get into my seat again?” Dojima asked, though he went along with the instructions.

“No. Into your space, though…” Souji dropped onto him without warning, straddling his raised thigh, reaching out to pin down the hand Dojima was holding outstretched and cupping his face gently with his other hand as he leaned in to kiss him.

Dojima kissed him back. Not for long, not deeply, but for just a minute his free arm wrapped tightly around Souji’s back and he pressed up into Souji’s mouth. That was all the proof Souji needed that the risk had been worth taking. Then he seemed to catch himself and ripped his face backwards, though Souji thought it was telling that he made no move to shove him away.

“Just what the hell was that?” Dojima asked, his voice rough.

Souji smiled down at him, his fingers teasing into Dojima’s hair. “The pose I was having trouble putting into words. Though, you improvised a little,” he arched back into the arm that Dojima still had wrapped around him, and watched his uncle’s face go red as he realized he was still holding him. Still, he didn’t move it. “Everything I was trying came out too dry, but I think, maybe,” he leaned in again to press another gentle kiss against Dojima’s chin, was still allowed to do so, “this might help me put a little heat into it. Like I said, the teacher slipped once, when his student finally got it through to him that the way he felt was more than just a schoolboy crush.” He pressed himself closer still, pulling Dojima’s unresisting hand down from the couch to nestle against Souji’s hip, and he murmured just a breath away from Dojima’s lips, “Would you like to slip with me, Uncle?”

And this time Dojima did not push him away.


End file.
